Thursday, October 27, 2011

Gluten-Free Sahale Snacks Maple Pecans Nut Blend : Product Review

Gluten-Free Product Review: Sahale Snacks Maple Pecans Nut Blend

Maple and Pecans with Walnuts, Cherries, and Cinnamon = WONDERFUL

I just found this excellent gluten-free snack product at Costco over the weekend and I now know I will definitely be going back for more of it. Sahale Snacks makes this product here in the USA, and has done a wonderful job of combining some of the best ingredients available into a delicious trail-mix/nut-snack.

I have tried other varieties of the Sahale Snacks gluten-free products before, and so far, this Maple Pecans variety is my all-time favorite. It is not "cheap" per se, as a 15-ounce bag was $10.99 (or, 73cents/ounce), but really this is no more than what other GF snack-bars and such cost on an ounce-by-ounce basis; e.g., consider a gluten-free snack like a 1.6-1.8ounce LaraBar that is the same per-ounce price if sold for $1.17-1.31/bar, and I quite often see those bars priced higher than that.

One has to keep in mind that, however tempting it would be to consume the bag contents in many less portions, the Sahale Snacks bag contains what is to be "14 servings" (or, if comparing apples-to-apples with something like a 1.6oz Larabar, this bag would give you nearly 10 "servings" of similar size). I would also consider this product for a dessert as well as just a snack, as it definitely fills a desire for a sweet, tasty treat.

These gluten-free ingredients combine to form, in my opinion, a nearly perfect blend of flavors and textures. I absolutely love the pecan-cinnamon-maple combination, and the slight tang of the dried cherries makes it all the more wonderful. The mix may be just a bit on the sweet side, but if you keep your serving-size under control, that should not be a problem.

The taste of this product reminds me of the filling of a great cinnamon-pecan roll! Maybe that is what I find so wonderful about it. I have not had a cinnamon-roll in ages (fact is, I really have not found any gluten-free pecan-rolls or cinnamon-rolls that could start to compete with my grandma's home-made cinnamon-rolls I enjoyed while a child), but the Sahale Snacks flavor combination of the maple, cinnamon, and pecans really fill that void for me. Yum!

Nutrition

In addition to being gluten-free, the product is also dairy-free / vegan, cholesterol-free and has no trans fats. A 1/4-cup (30g) serving has the following nutritional profile:

150 calories

9g fat (from the nuts of course), of which 1g is saturated fat; 4.5g each of polyunsaturated and monounsatured fats

120mg sodium

16g total carbohydrates of which 1g is dietary fiber and 12g are from sugar

2g protein

2% RDA each of vitamin A and Iron, plus 8% RDA of vitamin C

I certainly think the nutrition values are just fine for a snack food, and is in-line with what one would expect for a combination of nuts and fruit and maple-sugar.

Bottom line: quite a delicious gluten-free snack that is in-line with comparably-priced gluten-free snacks/bars on a per-ounce comparison basis.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

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Gluten-Free Blog by Mike Eberhart

Like all gluten-free / Celiac persons, I want to live life to the fullest and not feel encumbered by the dietary constraints of a lifelong disease. I hope this GlutenFree Blog helps you quickly make the transition to an enjoyable and fulfilling life as you adapt to Celiac Disease and find safe and delicious alternatives for your new gluten-free diet.

Note: This site is not intended for use as a source of health, medical, legal, or professional advice, and I assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any thing else resulting from you reading this blog.